Hacking Cough

I was off work most of last week with the most unforgiving cold I've ever had. The word "flu" was thrown around once or twice, but I'm not entirely convinced because I didn't experience all of the normal symptoms for influenza.

I don't usually take medication for anything; but after a sinusitis headache woke me up in the middle of the night, and then kept me awake for hours afterwards, I was compelled to seek medical aid. Aspirin made me feel so damned human again that I will try to keep a small supply of it at all times.

The virus, and all the coughing that came with it, has given my voice a raspy edge. I can't reach a falsetto, and attempting to speak forcefully makes me sound like a teenager with a breaking voice again. I guess I can put up with sounding like Michael Ironside for a while.

I found some things to keep my occupied while I was off sick. I couldn't do any heavy reading, as it only made my head swim; but I did do a little writing for a fantasy RPG campaign. Who knows when I'll next have the opportunity to get back into gaming, but the world-building and scenario-writing is still enjoyable.

I also rediscovered Ghost Master and Evil Genius, which are both available at very reasonable prices on Steam. For Evil Genius I found an amazing base-builder tool online that lets you plan a hidden underground base on your very own secret island of indeterminate location.

Finally, Steam had Psychonauts was on offer last week. It has been hailed as one of those games that was really good, but nobody ever played it. Like Beyond Good and Evil, Arx Fatalis, or Giants: Citizen Kabuto. While I wouldn't go as far as putting it in the same category as the aforementioned titles, it has been pretty enjoyable so far. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys wacky platform puzzle games, but it's no Soul Reaver.